Local thrift shops give back to the community

By KATIE HANSEN - Daily News Staff

Published: Sunday, July 7, 2013 at 10:02 AM.

The store generates almost $900,000 a year, Wilson said, and helps support other programs with WOEOM, including a food pantry, a meals on wheels program, an angel tree program, a dental bus, and a school grants ministry which helps kids pay for the supplies needed to participate in extracurricular activities in school.

For those who wish to donate to Hem of His Garment, the store has a donation receiving area that is open 24 hours a day. In order to pick up a tax receipt, givers should drop off donations from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The store can also arrange pickup and delivery for large items.

“We do this out of love for the community and for God, and it’s important that people understand that,” Wilson said.

Who doesn’t like a great deal from a thrift store? A vintage t-shirt for $6 or a set of dishes for a dorm room for only 15 bucks – or maybe you’ve been eyeing that red couch in the corner for a while?

While there are several establishments in the area with great deals, a handful of those are good for the wallet — and for the soul.

These thrift shops make it their mission to give back to the community every time you buy or donate something.

Finders Keepers 910-346-1611

1209-A Hargett St., Jacksonville

Hours: Monday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Finders Keepers is owned by the Onslow Women’s Center, a shelter to help victims of violence and domestic abuse. The store provides clothes and items free of charge to the residents of the center in order to help them with a fresh start, said store Manager Dawn Stevens.

When residents leave the center, they also get to shop in the store for household items to help them get back on their feet. The store is 100 percent non-profit, with all of its proceeds benefiting the shelter. It has four paid employees, the rest volunteer or work for community service hours.

Finders Keepers accepts donations from the community from Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the loading dock in the back of the store, and donors can get tax receipts.

Stevens said the store accepts gently used items, except car seats, mattresses and recalled items. For people who want to donate furniture, the store can arrange furniture pickup.

She said they sell clothing the most. For those who want to check out the full list of the items the store accepts, visit onslowwc.org and click on the thrift store tab

Not only do Salvation Army Thrift Stores offer affordable prices on household items and clothes for the person on a budget, they also help locals who need financial assistance and groceries.

“When people come in and they give donations, they give based on the reputation of the Salvation Army,” said Scott Bartnett, the Family Stores Operations Director for the Jacksonville Core of the Salvation Army.

All the proceeds from the store help people in the community who need assistance paying bills, such as electric and water and proceeds also benefit food banks on Bell Fork Road and in Jones County.

The Salvation Army gives out vouchers to people in need who can then use those vouchers to shop in the store for clothes and various other items, Bartnett said.

Last year, Bartnett said the Salvation Army in Jones and Onslow counties provided around $300,000 worth of help in food, clothing and financial aid.

The people who man the store include a mixture of paid and volunteer workers and some community service workers. Bartnett said those who work in the store are required to help with disaster relief in the event of a catastrophe.

“It’s great to know what we’re doing in our stores is benefiting the community,” he said.

Donations can be brought through the front door or to the loading dock in the back for bigger donations. They also offer a pickup service for furniture.

They do not accept baby cribs, car seats, older TVs and furniture with major stains.

Hem of His Garment Thrift Store 910-326-1811

724 W. Corbett Ave., Swansboro

Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

The Hem of His Garment is the main ministry of the White Oak Ecumenical Outreach Ministries.

WOEOM is comprised of 14 churches in the area, and provides several outreach programs to help struggling community members.

Jeffrey Wilson, Hem of His Garment director, said the store runs, in majority, on donations from the community that his team of volunteers then clean up and sell.

“People donate all the time, everything from clothing all the way to campers,” he said.

All the proceeds from the store go directly to the treasury, and then the funds help local families in need, among other things.

In a ministry called Family Assistance, struggling individuals and families interview to show their financial need to pay various bills - anything from electric to doctor bills to mortgages.

The Family Assistance program aids people in the area with financial assistance ranging in $30 – to $40,000 a month.

And they do this all with volunteers, except for a paid bookkeeper and janitorial crew.

The store generates almost $900,000 a year, Wilson said, and helps support other programs with WOEOM, including a food pantry, a meals on wheels program, an angel tree program, a dental bus, and a school grants ministry which helps kids pay for the supplies needed to participate in extracurricular activities in school.

For those who wish to donate to Hem of His Garment, the store has a donation receiving area that is open 24 hours a day. In order to pick up a tax receipt, givers should drop off donations from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The store can also arrange pickup and delivery for large items.

“We do this out of love for the community and for God, and it’s important that people understand that,” Wilson said.

Harbor Thrift Store operates under the auspice of the Faith Harbor United Methodist Church. The store opened in Sept. 2010 and it specializes in children’s clothing, said Jean Hawley, the business manager.

Store proceeds go to the church which distributes it to several different ministries aimed at helping community members, Hawley said.

“Emergency disaster relief is primarily what it is,” she said.

The store also opens up its doors to families in the area who have been displaced or who have been referred to shop for clothes or furniture or other household items. She said they also have medical equipment, such as walkers and wheelchairs, to give to referrals.

“We open up the racks and let them have what they need free,” she said of referrals. The store contributes to the church and the church allocates to the Mercy Abound Program, a financial assistance program which gives emergency one-time help with unusual expenses.

The store accepts donations at the church located at 14201 NC 50 in Surf City, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hawley said items can be scheduled to be picked up by appointment.

Infant of Prague Catholic Thrift Shop 910-937-1543

933 Lejeune Blvd., Jacksonville

Hours: Monday – Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Infant of Prague Catholic Thrift Shop offers affordable prices on a daily basis along with sales intermittently throughout the year.

“We price the items so people can afford it,” said John Marks, the business manager for the Infant of Prague parish.

Marks said one thing the shop does several times a year is throw a bag sale in which shoppers can stuff as much merchandise as they can get into a bag for $6.

In addition to affordable prices, the shop takes referrals from different agencies in the community – citizens who have been lost their home due to a fire or who come from a bad domestic situation – and they help them start over at no charge.

The proceeds from the shop go toward a financial assistance program.

He said they often help people with utility bills and medicines. Everyone who goes through the financial assistance program must go through an interview process, as well.

“We just don’t help with deposits or rent,” Marks said.

The parish also operates a food pantry run solely by volunteers.

The store operates with the help of two paid employees and a team of volunteers.

Anyone who wants to donate can take items directly to the shop; food donations can be taken to the parish office at 205 Chaney Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Arrangements can be made to pick up large items.

Richlands United Methodist Church 910-324-3736

102 E. Franck St., Richlands

Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The Richlands United Methodist Thrift Shop is owned by the Richlands United Methodist Church and has been operating for 27 years with the help of a large team of volunteers.

Proceeds from the thrift shop are used in outreach through the church, to help things such as the Methodist home for children, and the senior center which was built and is owned by the church.

Myrlyn Humphrey, a member of the thrift shop committee, said the store also donates clothes to children in need.

If schools call and ask the store to help clothe a child, they will give them some outfits and shoes. They also provide coats for children in winter, and donate book bags and school supplies to the local schools Humphrey said.

The store also helps out with nursing homes in the area – not only to provide evening wear for proms, but to donate everyday clothing, snacks and bingo prizes on a normal occasion.

The store also gives donated shampoo and body wash from hotels to battered women's shelters. It runs on the power of one paid employee and a crew of 30 volunteers, Humphrey said.

In addition to generous donations, the store hosts a generous monthly bag sale in which shoppers can fill a bag with as much merchandise as they can for $7.

If anyone wants to donate to the shop, a bin in the shape of a house sits on the side of the building 24 hours a day. Otherwise, donations are accepted at the back door during business hours.

Humphrey said that they do not accept large items such as big pieces of furniture because of the small size of the store. They specialize mainly in clothing and housewares.

The Richlands Community Outreach Thrift Store focuses primarily on families in crisis, according to Jim Jarman, the chairman of Richlands Community Outreach Ministries.

The store's entire inventory consists of donated items, and it runs on the power of approximately 50 volunteers who help sometime during the month, Jarman said.

“All the items we sell through the thrift store and all the money we get we use a number of ways,” Jarman said.

But the main focus of the thrift store's proceeds go toward financial assistance.

Richlands Community Outreach helps families in crisis with short-term needs, whether it be paying medical needs, rent or other temporary expenses they cannot afford.

Those who receive help must apply and go through and interview process. Jarman said the ministry coordinates often with social services.

The thrift shop is just one ministry of many in Richlands Community Outreach; another includes a food pantry.

Those who want to donate to the store can bring items to the warehouse in the back during operating hours, or underneath the porch when the store is closed. A tax receipt can be procured upon request.

Pickups can be arranged by calling the shop.

Habitat for Humanity ReStore 910-347-9400

1200 Gum Branch Rd., Jacksonville

Hours: Monday – Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

5989 U.S. 70, Newport 252-223-4493

Hours: Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Jacksonville specializes in collecting donations of furniture, building supplies, home décor, and appliances.

When the store sells these items, the proceeds are then used to buy building supplies to build low-income houses in our local communities, said Samantha Sumpter, the Jacksonville ReStore manager.

In addition, the store's income also benefits other Habitat for Humanity programs, including a home ownership program, and exterior home repair programs for veterans and other applicants.

Habitat for Humanity is currently working on a home now in Hubert, which is being sponsored by Onslow County Rotaries and 70 West Builders out of Jacksonville. They have constructed four homes in Onslow in already.

Those wanting to donate to the store can bring items to the shop any time while they are open. Sumpter suggested people make appointments for large items to be picked up.

There are several thrift stores in the area which contribute to the community. Here are a few of those in Carteret County: